Schmittenhöhe AG “checks” wind turbines – salzburg.ORF.at
Business
The sharp rise in electricity prices is making alternative energy sources more and more attractive for ski areas: the Schmittenhöhebahnen in Zell am See (Pinzgau) are not only planning further photovoltaic systems, but also want to “check” wind turbine projects.
While smaller lift operators are taking days off to save electricity, electricity from renewable energy is becoming increasingly attractive for some large companies in the industry, says Schmittenhöhe AG board member Erich Egger, who is also spokesman for the Salzburg cable car industry. So the Hinterglemm mountain railways are planning several wind turbines to operate lifts and snow cannons with green electricity.
So far, the Schmittenhöhe railways have installed seven photovoltaic systems, with which they can quickly generate 300,000 kilowatt hours of solar power per year, says Egger. But “you would need much larger systems,” he says. “And there’s always the question: Where do you put them? With the Schmittenhöhebahn, we have the idea of integrating it into the building or doing it on the roofs as far as possible. That’s 3,000 square meters of photovoltaic surfaces that we currently have. We will continue to expand this over the next few years.”
“Big Leap” only with windmills
According to the Schmittenhöhe board, however, the expansion of photovoltaics will not bring “a big leap” in the generation of green electricity. “But we can only do that if we succeed in finding alternatives – for example, that we can also build wind turbines. That will be checked at the moment.”
Faster approval process required
However, the ropeway manager’s stomach is – as he says – far too long official procedures in the implementation of such projects. Specifically, Egger demands “that a wind turbine has no more than two years of approval time. If we have heard that the Windsfeld (near Flachauwinkl – note) will probably not come until 2027 that a wind turbine will be set up here, then that is definitely far too long. Such approval processes simply have to be faster. It also needs the support of the administration.”
Some things are already underway, but much more is needed and time is of the essence. In view of the high electricity prices, further projects for green electricity are urgently needed, adds Egger. Saving electricity alone will not solve the energy problem.